Band of Horses celebrated 20 years of Everything All the Time at Uptown

Whitney Young, Alex Agueros,
20260501 01 Wy Web Band Of Horses At The Uptown 35

Band of Horses. // photo by Whitney Young

Band of Horses
Uptown Theater
Friday, May 1

You never know what might last 20 years.

Marriages, careers, and major purchases are intended to last. But knickknacks, ball caps, and other impulsively collected mementos – however irrational – not only might stand the test of time, but may one day become more important than you thought possible.

Released around the time albums could be easily acquired in zip files by Googling its title and the name of your favorite file-hosting service, Band of Horses’ 2006 debut, Everything All the Time, captured a dynamic range of popular early-aughts movements that helped define the term indie rock.

Ambling folk rock, enigmatic songwriting, and massive post-rock crescendos share elements with a countless number of groups that while discussed on the same blogs and message boards of the time, perhaps didn’t last two decades.

Band of Horses demonstrated what makes Everything All the Time an album worthy of celebration Friday, May 1, marking its 20th anniversary by playing its track list in full and a second set of selections from their catalog as part of An Evening with Band of Horses Tour at Uptown Theater in Kansas City.

Ben Birdwell’s signature voice and delivery resembles a yelp into the northern lights, but matched with three guitars on stage, and a wide rocker stance from bassist Matt Gentling for their Explosion in the Sky-like climaxes, shimmery opener “The First Song” was an immediate reminder that despite the elegant typeface on each of their six albums and regional association with softer acts like Death Cab For Cutie and Fleet Foxes, Everything All the Time is best enjoyed at max volume.

Entertaining what appeared to be a full house inside Uptown Theater’s seated capacity of 1600, several moments brought patrons to their feet–early in the set to let a neighbor into the row, and again during the run of “The Funeral,” “Part One,” and “The Great Salt Lake.” Birdwell admitted he was not used to playing “The Funeral,” their most well-known song and one of a handful of career-defining anthems, so early in a live set.

“But we must,” he said.

While the pace slowed for “I Go to the Barn Because I Like The” album closer “St. Augustine,” both written by former member Mat Brooke, few deviations from the 36-minute runtime resulted in Birdwell ending his solo performance of the final song of the first set at exactly 9 p.m.

You can credit the longevity of Band of Horses to more than one album, as evidenced by the variety of bangers – with a heavy sampling from their sophomore effort Cease to Begin – that comprised the second hour-plus of their 20-year celebration. Massive guitars on the quiet-then-loud “Is There a Ghost,” and the endlessly romantic “No One’s Gonna Love You” rounded out the all-time great songs in their collection. Warm guitars helped set a serene place to exist during “Islands on the Coast,” and churned like machinery for “Casual Party” and “Crutch.”

After treating fans to “Little Suspect,” a new song from an upcoming album, the band returned to the deep well that is Cease to Begin. “Detlef Schrempf,” a song comparing a breakup to trading away a beloved hometown athlete.

“Eyes can’t look at you any other way,” Birdwell sang.

While darker lyrical themes on “Cigarettes, Wedding Bands,” and “Ode to LRC” demanded more urgent, driving guitars, hand claps from the crowd joined Birdwell’s tambourine for the last song of the night, “The General Specific.” Birdwell’s happy-go-lucky sense of humor and the crowd’s glee and gratitude–all but acknowledging the long odds beaten to last two decades–properly commemorated one of the finest indie rock groups and their gem of a debut.

“Knowin’ ahead there comes a fork in the road, pants have gotta go,” Birdwell sang. “We’re on an island on the Fourth of July.”

All photos by Whitney Young

Band of Horses

Band of Horses setlist

Everything All the Time
The First Song
Our Swords
Wicked Gil
The Funeral
Part One
The Great Salt Lake
Weed Party
I Go to the Barn Because I Like The
Monsters
St. Augustine (Ben solo)

Is There a Ghost
NW Apt.
No One’s Gonna Love You
Islands on the Coast
Casual Party
Crutch
In a Drawer
Laredo
Little Suspect
Detlef Schrempf
Cigarettes, Wedding Bands
Ode to LRC
The General Specific

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